7 minute read
Student Spotlights
TAKING THE LEAD
Sara Spoonecame to the College of Nursing after both her father and older brother graduated from the University of South Carolina. She chose to pursue nursing after watching her aunt work in the pediatric ICU. Spoone is also interested in pediatrics, though right now, she wants to experience the many potential career paths nursing offers. During her time at South Carolina, she stays busy with school and sporting events. She also helped start a local chapter of the Nurses Christian Fellowship.
When a professor approached her about starting the organization, she described it as an opportunity she could not pass up. Spoone shared that she sees college as a freeing environment where students can find their calling. Even though she knew starting an organization from scratch would be difficult, she said she saw a chance to bring nursing students together in a community. Now the president of the organization, she and the other members celebrated their first official year as a chapter.
After moving all over the country in a military family, Shatoria Sandlain has made a home at the College of Nursing at the University of South Carolina. In her time pursuing her undergraduate degree in nursing, Sandlain has balanced schoolwork, friendships, and her sorority, Chi Eta Phi, of which she is now president. When asked how she handles it all, she said, “Stay organized and avoid procrastination. Find a hobby, too.”
As the president of her nursing sorority’s chapter, her priorities have been expanding their membership and focusing on communication. Her past opportunities in volunteering and leadership roles helped prepare her to step into her current position. She found that building connections has created a gateway for her future. She hopes to continue to foster relationships in Columbia that will lead to a local job. Additionally, she plans to continue her education and become a certified midwife. Her positive connection to professors in the college instilled in her a life-long love for learning.
For Haleigh Clutters,the word leadership is a familiar one. Not only is she the president of the Student Nursing Association of South Carolina and a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Board, but she also is a former president of Zeta Tau Alpha Fraternity. She shared that each of her different experiences as a leader has added valuable skills to her repertoire. From time management, to recognizing the needs of others, to understanding the importance of cultural competence, she has translated experiences into expertise.
STUDENTS
While the day-to-day grind of a student leader in a rigorous academic program can be a difficult one, Clutters shared that with the end of her undergraduate degree in sight, everything seems worth it. Her future goals include working as an ICU nurse for two years, then as a travel nurse. She would also like to start working on a graduate degree in her near future.
BEATING THE HEAT
The not so lazy days of summer
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1. Emma Chimera completed an externship at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in the Emergency Department.
2. Karlee Poulin completed an externship at Duke University Hospital in the MICU and worked with Duke Life Flight Nurses.
3. Quenton Washington worked as a UofSC Summer Senior Counselor.
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4. Sydney Jones volunteered at the Greenville Hospital System in the Children’s Hospital.
5. Hannah Sheppard completed an externship at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with the internal float team.
6. Jacob Gentry walked in Paris Fashion Week for Celine.
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7. Elena Mulligan worked as an orientation leader for the UofSC Office of New Student Orientation.
8. Annie Lacher completed an externship at John Hopkins Bayview in the Neuro ICU.
9. Thien Nguyen worked in the college’s ACORN Center. 10. Emily Inman completed an externship at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in the NICU.
11. Iquashia Hall completed a fellowship in Spain.
12. Seth Poston worked in the ER at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii.
REAL-WORLD READY
AIRSAFE TRAINING College of Nursing seniors played the role of patients during the Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) Airsafe training, a drill mandated by the FAA. The full-scale emergency exercise involved 21 first-responder agencies and 176 volunteers. The simulation allowed students to view real-world problem solving and communication skills while learning about the psychological reactions of trauma patients.
“In the airsafe simulation, I learned that many difficult decisions are made in the hope to save as many people as possible; how to triage patients in a mass casualty situation. Having the role of the victim was important because it allowed us to gain crucial insight into the patient’s state of mind and how they may handle trauma on an emotional level.”
VICTORIA ALLEN, BSN STUDENT
COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK POVERTY SIMULATION
The newly established upper division course requirement, the Community Action Network Poverty Simulation, was funded by a grant from the Helen Gurley Wolford Fund. The simulation provided an interactive immersion experience that sensitizes participants to the realities of poverty.
Student roles varied from a grandmother on disability taking care of her incarcerated daughter’s children to a 13-year-old without a consistent legal guardian. The simulation taught the challenges and choices that many families in our country must make every day and educated them on different programs such as Medicare and SNAP.
The most significant value I gained was that this simulation is a genuine reality for many of our patients. I understand why a patient may miss an appointment because they didn’t have enough money for transportation or if they had to decide between paying their rent or seeing the doctor.
BRICE DUCKWORTH, BSN STUDENT
Now I understand the choices that many patients face when they decide not to seek medical help or purchase a necessary prescription. I want to further educate myself on the resources available for patients to provide the best care I can.
ANNE FAWCETT, BSN STUDENT
THE NEXT LEVEL
Ph.D. studentCurisa Tuckerreceived the prestigious Paul Ambrose
Scholarship, and her project will be a community-based baby shower for at-risk mothers in the Columbia area. She will provide and coordinate education on infant death and preterm births with other healthcare professionals during the baby shower. Tucker has also been accepted into the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Program.
Samantha Tojinois focusing her DNP research on improving sexual health assessment in the primary care setting. She was named one of the top medical professionals of Augusta in 2018 and recognized by the Augusta chapter of the United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses. Tojino was also inducted as a fellow into the International Society for the Study for Women’s Sexual Health. She considers her job her hobby and is passionate about addressing sexual and menopausal health in women of all ages.
